WOOT lol Odyssea NEEDLE WHEEL skimmer! - Page 10

chevegan · #**226** 03/02/2007, 02:35 PM

just a quick update. As of this morning I'm beginning to see some dry foam emerging. I keep my setting low so as the get some thick skimate although this takes longer from break in. Shouldn't be to much longer now.

tamthapluc · #**227** 03/02/2007, 02:45 PM

Luke, NW will pull more air, mesh mod even better. I don't think air pump is necessary as long as you have a good venturi. Here's how to mod a venturi:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...5&pagenumber=1

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...5&pagenumber=2

luke33 · #**228** 03/02/2007, 03:07 PM

Thanks Tam, believe me, i've read through it all. I may go ahead with the NW pump, we'll see. I do see the air pump working for me. I'm sure there are doubters, but oh well. lol, its trial and error as i see it. There will be a few different sinerios that may occur. The air might cause the pump to produce a ton of bubbles which will be good, it may cause the pump to not work(bad : () or it might not do anything really positive or negative. The good thing is the skimmer is producing skimmate at a good rate and if the air pump mod doesn't work, oh well. the funtionallity of the pump is not hurt.

DragonFish · #**229** 03/02/2007, 05:23 PM

Its official, I'm in.

chevegan · #**230** 03/02/2007, 06:20 PM

lol woot And WELCOME

Oh this site has some pumps for cheap btw. http://www.customaquatic.com/customa...dexid=ps-ac-pm

always useful info. i wonder if the Gen X GX1000 will draw in more air than the currently stock 12.6w Odyssea one. I may try it next month when I feel like blowing 18.99.

20reefer · #**231** 03/02/2007, 07:35 PM

chevegan- thanks for the link I will buy it soon because the impeller of my pump is broken do is better buy a new one!!

clevername2000 · #**232** 03/02/2007, 08:35 PM

Wednesday next week i will have my PS160!!!!!

For $88.60 shipped you cant beat it! I was thinking about ording the PS75 also; have two skimmers running on my 55g.

What do you think?

kodyboy · #**233** 03/02/2007, 08:43 PM

CANT HURT

CinciCobra · #**234** 03/02/2007, 09:02 PM

Catfish lighting has been selling this crap skimmer for over a year - I bought one quite some time ago and believe me, it was crap. Sure you can get it to produce foam but dialing it in as a MAJOR pita - it consistently needs tinkering with and overflows when stopped and restarted.

Anyway, beyond my worthless opinion you can buy it here http://www.catfishlighting.com/body_skimmers.htm and it comes w/ the plumbing to use it in sump as well.

Good luck w/ it - my time is worth the extra 50 buck to buy something decent that is reliable.

chevegan · #**235** 03/02/2007, 09:32 PM

lol eh? ooooooooook

Back to the skimmers at hand keep the updates coming.

Btw I think the PS160 is more than enough on a 55g. I wouldn't get both. One extra plug lol

kodyboy · #**236** 03/02/2007, 09:35 PM

cinci looks like a ps75 to me, although it is an expensive one, aquatraders has them for around half that price.
I find it fun to play around looking for decent equipment that does not cost an appendage, but you are correct you get a lot of turds until you find a diamond in the rough

chevegan · #**237** 03/02/2007, 09:45 PM

Oh and a quick note, the pump is no longer the CL-290 it's an ex250. The absolute biggest, and only, thing that is going to make a needle wheel skimmer need tinkering is the pump. Cheap pumps prove to have inconsistent flow patterns. So far mines doing fine with the current pump. But I mentioned an 18.99 remedy earlier. A GX1000, but I don't see that as a necessity as of yet.

kodyboy · #**238** 03/02/2007, 09:54 PM

So far my ps160 on the 150 is doing fine, although it is a pain to dial in properly. It looks a lot like an ASM G2 and we shall see if it works as well as one. I will post pics next week.

luke33 · #**239** 03/02/2007, 10:28 PM

Chev, here's a link with better prices on the NW gen x.

http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro...x_submers.html

As i've been eyeing them for a few days. I had a break on one of my rubber seal's inside my pump and thats why my skimmer wasn't functioning as well. Its back on track. Side note, i stopped by petsmart cuz my son wanted to go after dinner and its tough to tell a 2 1/2 yr old no, so we went inside and i had to look at there stuff. Got some actual mesh, the good kind for 1.99!!! Couldn't believe they had it. Well, lets just say my bubbles are much smaller and i'm thinkin some serious skimmate now. My skimmer is almost finally broke in i think.

I also dropped a air pump with a wood stone in there......wow, thats all i gotta say, i just hate to have it all ghettofied but i'll post some pics with it in there tomorrow.

Last question, i'm noticing my skimmer does better with the top off, anyone else leave the top off, or does it serve a function?

clevername2000 · #**240** 03/03/2007, 05:28 PM

Your going to have to replace that airstone in a couple months.... Just FYI

luke33 · #**241** 03/03/2007, 05:40 PM

Clev, yea, didn't like how it was going with the stone.....no more stone

its doing well without it now with the right mesh mod.

chevegan · #**242** 03/03/2007, 06:52 PM

I'm glad to hear that. If you're ever going to do anything more I would just say a Gen X pump. But don't spend you money on it yet. Give it a month. Thats what I'm gonna do. If I see too many inconsistencies in the pump's flow pattern I'm buying the gen x.

luke33 · #**243** 03/03/2007, 09:00 PM

I hear ya chev...the hardest thing i'd dealing with is getting it dialed in right and then not messing with it! lol, i'm done with messing so i think i may actually get some skimmate! We shall see......day 8

clevername2000 · #**244** 03/04/2007, 02:28 AM

Im excited! Yeah i know im a nerd!

luke33 · #**245** 03/04/2007, 11:08 AM

Day 8 results are 4cups of light green water in 24hr period. Not bad, but still trying to get dryer nog.

djc1026 · #**246** 03/04/2007, 11:44 AM

Does the 160 have a 5" chamber and does the pump install 90 degrees from the water outlet. My skimmer area in my sump is a little cramped, so if the pump and chamber are in line and no more than 6", I'd be good.

Dave

djc1026 · #**247** 03/04/2007, 12:09 PM

Here's my current "cheap" skimmer. It a catalina Vortex 100, stock venturi skimmer. It was a p.o.s. as a HOT, but in sump with the second venturi hooked up this is what I have been getting for the past year.

These pics are after about 12 hours. I actually have it dialed back a little more since these pics, because I got tired of emptying the cup every day.

Here's a pic of the skimmer in HOT configuration.

Dave

chevegan · #**248** 03/04/2007, 02:31 PM

yes it does have a 90 degree adapter. The reason that will always work better is because you are losing less velocity from the pump. BTW I don't think you need to change that skimmer. It looks to be doing just fine man. Plus I don't think I would have dialed it back man. If it's emptying that much it's for a reason. Go to your local Lowes and get a 90 degree spigot drill silicone and bam. Attach a hose to it and let it drain in to a 2 liter.

djc1026 · #**249** 03/04/2007, 03:16 PM

That's what I keep telling myself, "you don't need a new skimmer, you have pretty good results with what you have now..." Thus, no new skimmer in the past year.

There's a drain in the cup, but it's not high enough to flow over the top of the 20 gal sump, and raising the skimmer effects it's performance.

Dave

RandyStacyE · #**250** 03/04/2007, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by djc1026
That's what I keep telling myself, "you don't need a new skimmer, you have pretty good results with what you have now..." Thus, no new skimmer in the past year.

There's a drain in the cup, but it's not high enough to flow over the top of the 20 gal sump, and raising the skimmer effects it's performance.

Dave

It might sound silly, but there's a solution to that problem. You can install a small bulkhead fitting near the top of your sump. Run the hose from your collection cup to the bulkhead fitting from inside the sump. You can then run a hose from the outside of the bulkhead to your 'waste collector'.